December 14, 2018

The U: Talented And Smart

Twenty-six student-athletes earned degrees Thursday from the University of Miami in 2018 Fall Commencement exercises, which were conducted at the Watsco Center on the UM campus in Coral Gables. The UM student-athletes were among the more than 1,000 University of Miami undergraduate and graduate students who earned their degrees during the fall ceremonies.

Graduates from all of the University of Miami's schools and colleges were recognized by name and walked across the stage to be congratulated by University President Julio Frenk and their respective academic deans.

"Today is a memorable day for 26 of our student-athletes as they achieve their goal of earning a degree from the University of Miami," Director of Athletics Blake James said. "It's a testament to the hard work and dedication displayed by these outstanding young men and women, and I couldn't be prouder of them. I can't wait to see where their life's journey takes them from here, and I hope they realize that they are always welcome back and will always be a part of our U Family."

Seven of Miami's athletics programs were represented in the fall graduation ceremonies. The football team led all programs with 13 graduates, including 2018 All-ACC honorees Jaquan Johnson, Michael Jackson, Sheldrick Redwine and Tyree St. Louis.

Women's golf standout Dewi Weber will earn her bachelor's degree in advertising/motion pictures. She is one of the most decorated student-athletes in UM golf history as a three-time All-American.

The list also features several former Hurricanes who returned to school to complete their degrees, including former First-Team All-America defensive back Daryl Williams, who played at UM from 1989-91 before moving on to an 11-year NFL career with the Cincinnati Bengals and Seattle Seahawks. He was an NFL Pro Bowl honoree in 1997 and inducted into the UM Hall of Fame in 2017.

Former men's basketball standout Darius Rice also returned to earn his degree. Rice ranks fourth in career scoring at UM with 1,865 points and was a three-time All-BIG EAST honoree. He played at UM from 2000-04 and has had a 14-year professional basketball career.

Additionally, the list includes baseball standouts Danny Garcia, Ricky Eusebio and Brandon Lopez, each of whom went on to play professional baseball, and Tyriq McCord, a former football linebacker who played in 51 career games.

As I recall when Jimmy J was coach the d line players had to do a certain technique to get penetration in the back field...if they did not show in practice that they were able to be successful in using that technique they could not get on the field.

Hopefully, Patke and Banda will help us keep some recruits. I guess we will see what kind of play-callers they are, but I really like my LOF Simpson. I think he is a coaching star and as good as coach Kul, if not better.

There is another coaching spot that’s open, so let’s hope he fills it with an OC

I also remember Jimmy J stating publicly when recruiting season came around he would say that he was going out to find players who could replace the last years players..lol the guys could never take their jobs for granted

Agreed WWIN. Everyone (fans of other schools) thinks people are out panhandling for money at UM and that the weightroom has picnic benches. IMO the school likes it that way so they can continue to send emails asking for more money. As a private school they are not required to divulge $$$.

Posted by: CGNC | December 15, 2018 at 10:01 AM

BINGO!!!

I don't blame UM for running business this way... I would too if I was them lol!

I think the defense played the best players, and replaced those who weren’t performing. The defense also designed a scheme, including the new striker position, that played to the strengths of the personnel on the roster.

The offense was the complete opposite. The offense played the coaches’ favorites, and didn’t replace those who weren’t performing. The offense didn’t change to play to the Canes strengths of the personnel on the roster.

I saw Richt play the same players after we lost our first acc game...I had no reason to believe that he cared about losing....Our other coaches back in the day would have gone through the roster to find someone who would make plays,...our qb would have never seen the field ...the qb is like 70 percent of the offense...if he is not successful it spreads to the entire offense..the corch stuck with a leader who could not be depended upon.

The passing game is not even close to the U tradition...and the fly was our bread and butter...we have receivers running down field who were wide open and we could not make a connection....we were never like this.

When we had close games back in the day we never dropped the ball..that one catch gave us the win...Portis on the screen, Ervin on the fly against fswho, olsen on the post...all passing that won games... we dont win now because our passing game sucs

As I said - richt will Find a way to lose 4 or 5 this next year and be gone!
This next season is going to be miserable - I hate to say it but true! But the light at the end of the tunnel is hopefully we fire richt! And kick him on his way out!

Pleading poverty for Miami is hysterical. Im not asking them to spend Bama money, and they dont have to, just build a staff with qualified people and a quality scheme that takes advantage of the local specialty, speed. Dan Mullen would have been a great hire.

U all make me laugh! I know u nancies have strong football knowledge, but there’s no way I support giving up on a coach that’s have gotten us further than any other since 2002. I think the DCs r a brilliant move. Banda has been with Diaz far back. He knows his mentality and play calling. He’s got tons of energy and the young kids love him.
As for the offense, the only common thing that has prevented us from having a strong offense for all these years has been a QB! When we get good play from QB, we will turn the proverbial champioship O corner.

This "move" is like my Mom making me and my brother wear Toughskin Jean's from Sears with iron-on patches on the worn out knees while my friends were all wearing Levi's with the orange stitching and red tag.

You young bucks! We BUILT our own skateboards with scrap wood and STEEL wheels from broken super skates. (Hit even the tiniest pebble and it would screech to an immediate stop.) Skateboards with clay wheels were for only the rich kids... SMH... LOL.

Point is well taken though... keeping it on the cheap is NOT the way to get the BEST.

Afri - totally disagree
But don’t listen to the majority on here - ASK ANY GA fan and they will tell you hen’aint got it and they should of fired his terrible ass years before they actually did’
PS he got us further than any coach in the past has gotten us. Lol
You’re now saying he’s better than Randy Shannon and Al Golden. Gimme a break

LB Sam Brooks is back! Glad to hear it. Brooks is a playmaker that this Canes defense is built on. A few more key recruits are still out there. If these recruits commit, the future on defense looks VERY VERY bright.

Questioning a coach who makes 4 million dollars a year to put the canes in the top ten is not unjustified. Im sure that what we say is as threatening as taking money out of his salary like us buying a product that he produce that does not work. Fans have no power to make the team win or lose ..that belongs squarely on the coaches.

I remember the day when coaches...coached their asses off for 100 thousand a year...and we actually owned college football...getting just like the nfl..they think they are really important...only thing in this game that is important is winning period

The only reason that I am at this point in my complaining is that we lost to teams that we clearly were better...if we were getting better and lost to teams that were clearly better then i would give the o coach some slack. but its a bad sign that we lost in this way...not promising.

dont you think it is easier for Kuligowski to recruit this year than at the U? Why..because they tide wins games and dominates.

Posted by: mi@mic@ne | December 15, 2018 at 10:17 AM

Anyone who is a member of Alabama's staff is going to have an easier time recruiting for the Crimson Tide than for the U. It's Alabama. They're like a team with 46 first round draft choices, and have become so powerful that they're guaranteed to win this year national championship, as well as the next. 20% of each graduating class goes in the first round of the draft, if not more. If Saban stays, they'll win probably eight of the next national championships.

2008: 12-2, lost SEC Championship
2009: 14-0, won National Championship
2010: 10-3
2011: 12-1, won National Championship
2012: 13-1, won National Championship
2013: 12-2
2014: 12-2, lost in NC Semi-Finals
2015: 14-1, won National Championship
2016: 14-1, lost in NC Finals
2017: 13-1, won National Championship
2018: 13-0

Fans have no power to make the team win or lose ..that belongs squarely on the coaches.
Posted by: mi@mic@ne | December 15, 2018 at 05:35 PM

THAT is the problem... That is ALWAYS the problem.
The fans have NO POWER.
We are at the mercy of whatever coach the BOT and AD have chosen to run the show. They could care LESS about the fans. The stadium would have to be virtually EMPTY before the fans opinions are considered...

Evidently according to how Richt reasons the 4 star defensive recruit is much better than the 4 star offensive recruit. So unless we recruit 5 star offensive players then our o corch wont be successful...

SolarCane some people unfortunately don't have much dignity or care for certain things and will justify anything to get what they want. Let's be honest UM wouldn't allow Richt or any Coach to hire Kendall Briles and I don't blame them. There are other offensive gurus with less baggage from which can be hired. Kendall Briles got more Baggage than Pamela Anderson lol.

In Corp America the shareholders vote the bod in and the bod hires the executive team.
Why isn’t college football more like this: let the alumni vote in the ‘football’ bot and then the bot hires the ad and coach.
Just a thought based on above posts

Saban hired DJ Durkin to help his coaches prepare for the CF Playoffs, so any potential coaching hire is possible in college football.

Briles is probably not the OC that CMR would hire, but FSU just got a lot better by hiring Briles. The Canes also need to improve on offense, and they need to improve a bunch. Small tweaks aren’t enough

Soup I don't why you are jumping down my back but WTH ever. Anyways I don't have a issue with Richt's decision the defensive staff stays the same. I give it a 8. Only time will tell if it's a success or failure. Either it works and Richt will be proven correct by sticking with the defensive staff or it fails and he will get fired. Any more questions?

I didnt know some of that stuff with Kendal. F*ck him if its true. I wanted Mike Yurcich for forever anyways. Now hes off to Tennessee. Wouldnt surprise me if FSU got Briles, good fit now that I have more info, they have no standards and neither does he.

Posted by: WWIN | December 15, 2018 at 10:54 PM
WWIN,
I want us to be relevant again, and be back at the top just like you do.
I know in today's climate being considered a good guy isn't as popular as winning at any cost to your dignity
but it certainly isn't a bad way to try and conduct yourself and your team no?

Gimme a breakwith this ‘win at all costs mentality’; the guy gets effing paid like $4mil a year - he’s paid to win not be nice; you can win and do it legally; I know we don’t like saben, but what’s he done (other than effing win e eruehere he’s been on the college level) that makes you say this stupid phrase of ‘win at all costs’
For example, Clemson was winning with Bryant, and the ‘nice guy’ would have been satisfied, but a great coach takes him out for a true freshman and is in the top 4. Not nice, but the right, gutsy move - is that what you’re calling ‘win at all costs’?
Is saben taking out his starter in the championship game for a freshman ‘a win at all costs’ or simply a great, gutsy move that won him a championship?
Hiring briles is one bad example of your so called ‘win at all costs’ where it’s accurate but name some more?
Is win at all costs, our idiotic bot saying richt you suck and this is what we require or you’re going to be fired?
If we want to compete with the big boys (which we haven’t in 10 or so years), we need to act like them!
Again, I hate to say it, but next year will be miserable but the good news is richt should be gone at the end or sooner if FSU crushes us like I’m thinking they might (they got way better, are recruiting way better and can barely hang on to 3 stars and still have no qb coach or OC)

I guess Aerocane miss the whole their is plenty of available Offensive Gurus to chose from. There is no need to get in the weeds with Briles there are plenty others with less baggage pick one and keep it moving playa.

T, I agree but one example is lousy
I gave other points of coaches winning at all costs legally and we are stuck with righteous Richt who won’t even admit he needs an OC and a special teams coach and a qb coach!
Remember what the law school told my daughter 2 years ago: their applications skyrocketed the week after we destroyed notre Dame! The school flourishes if we win!
We need to win! And win now but we won’t with richt!

We lost to a GT team that fired their coach; we lost to a BC team that lost to a historically bad FSU team; we lost to a bad va team and we lost to Duke! He didn’t play his 5 star rb nor his 5 star wr- yet saben and Dabo always find ways to get there 5 stars playing time!
Richt is not the right guy and hopefully he’ll get fired next year or quit sooner

I did say the alumni should choose the bot and they would hire the coaches- after rethinking, the alumni should be able to vote in a few bot members not all.
After rethinking again, let’s just hire saben! We know how much he loves Miami! Lol

Ah, time to activate the sid-tard GD bot defense force. Fake Lames, shit coaching staffs and bot's born sliding into home plate thinking they hit a home run, he'll slurp all of them deeper than anybody else and won't stop sid-tard posting until he's made a sid-tard of himself for the world's amusement at his own expense.

He raved he got great 'value' in a team that lost more than it won under the worst coach in Miami football history, so obviously 2018 is his wet dream, a shit product that sold all the tickets on the illusion of progress before nobody decided to go through the gates for a garbage team that needed all the cupcakes to get above .500 for the year. Next year he reaps what Fake Lames sowed for all of the sid-tard crew on the attendance drop though, that'll be hilarious watching him try and police who counts as a 'real fan' then through attempted blog shaming posts . . .

Jeremiah Payton is an ‘urban legend’ in Jacksonville. He’s ready to go national at UM

BY DAVID WILSON

DECEMBER 15, 2018 12:18 PM

It doesn’t matter if the number is actually 21 or it’s just what Jeremiah Payton estimates now.

Twenty-one is the number which lives on in the Payton household like it’s some sort of urban legend.

Twenty-one — the number of touchdowns Payton ran for in eight games in his first season of organized football.

Payton can immediately call up the number, and so can his mother and father. It didn’t take anyone long to know Payton maybe had a future in the sport.

In this first season, Payton was a 6-year-old quarterback trying to mold his game after Cam Newton — he still calls the quarterback his favorite player — and it always looked to Shayla Payton like her son was running for dear life.

Payton, actually, had made scoring touchdowns a friendly competition with his running back. As he remembers it, Payton finished with 21 touchdowns. The running back finished with 20.

“We was like going back and forth with it,” Payton said. “I just kept getting better.”

Payton never really diverted from this trajectory. At 13, Payton was a national champion. At 14, he had colleges reaching out to him before he even played a varsity game.

On Wednesday, Payton will take his next step. Now a four-star wide receiver in 247Sports.com composite rankings, Payton will sign his National Letter of Intent with the Miami Hurricanes. Next month, he’ll suit up for the Under Armour All-America Game, then enroll at Miami.

Payton will almost certainly be the top-ranked public signee for the Hurricanes on Wednesday and because he’s an early enrollee he’s perfectly positioned to be one of the their most productive freshmen next fall.

He’s been on track for this since before he even began playing organized football.

Payton grew up glued to the television when college football games were on. He mainlined Newton highlights and videos of Chris Johnson from when the running back played for the Central Florida Knights. He told everyone he couldn’t wait to play in college. He even managed to needle his father by out-scheming him in the annual “Madden NFL” video games.

“I couldn’t beat him,” James Payton said. “He was studying in it. I was actually just playing, but he was actually really trying to study. He knew the plays, he knew the routes to run, stuff like that.”

Between Payton’s fascination with the game and the 21 touchdowns he scored as a 6-year-old, everyone figured Payton was destined for something. By the time he reached high school, Payton had already made a name for himself in the Jacksonville metropolitan area.

The fall before Payton began high school, he was a running back for the Oakleaf Knights and helped bring home a United Youth Football League national championship.

A year later, Brown got to see the legend firsthand. Payton played junior varsity his freshman fall, then spent the spring working with the varsity. College coaches who stopped by in Neptune Beach started to take notice.

The Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles were the first to make an offer to Payton before the end of the spring, but Miami, Payton said, was the big-name program to finally get things rolling. Special teams coordinator Todd Hartley, who recruits the First Coast for the Hurricanes, watched Payton and told him he was impressed.

“He was just telling me the potential I had,” Payton said. “When he was telling me that I just kind of sat myself down and was like just noticing I have the potential that college coaches like.”

By the end of his sophomore year, Payton was no longer just a local legend. The North Carolina Tar Heels, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, Florida Gators, Georgia Bulldogs, Mississippi State Bulldogs, Rutgers Scarlet Knights and Miami all offered by the end of 2016. They had all seen his full-extension diving touchdown catch against Lake City Columbia and the devastating crackback block he leveled against Ponte Vedra.

Really, it didn’t even take an official game, though. Fletcher made the short trip to Jacksonville White for its preseason classic where Payton made a play Brown still can’t help but talk about. The receiver ran a tunnel screen and the quarterback’s throw was headed way over his head. Payton managed to reach up and pull the ball in with one hand. He didn’t just save a doomed play — Payton turned upfield, weaved through the White defense and dashed 30 yards for a touchdown.

No two Payton highlights look the same, and even now it’s hard to pin down one skill at which Payton most excels. At The Opening Miami regional in February, Payton only measured in at 6-foot-1 and 186 pounds, but he’s a viable jump-threat. He only ran a 4.74-second 40-yard dash at the camp, but he has no trouble getting separation.

“He’s that guy that every coach looks for that’s all in one,” said Koreen Burch, Payton’s 7-on-7 coach at Burch Sports Performance. “He’s not your very fast guy, but he knows how to create separation. He knows how to get open. He knows how to use his big body.”

This fall, Payton made a full-time return to wide receiver after splitting time between wideout and quarterback as a junior. He guided the Senators to the postseason with 52 catches for 638 yards and five touchdowns, plus 13 carries for 231 yards and another two punt-return touchdowns. He even chipped in on defense occasionally, finishing the year with 42 tackles and two interception despite playing safety for the first time.

Since he committed to the Hurricanes, Payton hasn’t seriously considered any other schools, which wound up being a major coup for Miami. Ahmmon Richards, who began 2018 as the Hurricanes’ No. 1 wide receiver, suffered a career ending injury after catching just one pass this fall. Jeff Thomas, who began the year as Miami’s No. 2 wide receiver, was dismissed from the program last month. The Hurricanes’ top-ranked commit will arrive on campus at just the right time.

Miami’s offense has major questions. Almost everyone in the Jacksonville area will say Payton can be one of the answers.

JP, just another highly touted recruit who will get buried on the depth chart behind lesser players but when he does get some burn will only be out there for the vintage Richt run(into L tackle ass)-run(into R tackle ass)-run(into tackle ass of your choosing)-punt sequences. Richt is the worst.

Aero,
Saban doesn't have to try and find playing time for his 5 stars, he is 5 star 2 and 3 deep at most positions.
Where Saban gets it, is he has great offensive and defensive lines. Until this year's his QB's have been good not great but now he has a QB who can throw. There are only 2 to 3 teams that could beat them. Georgia, Clemson and Ohio St.
Our situation is dire. Richt's offense is stale. Would it work if we could develop a QB, yes. Would it work if we had talent on the oh line, especially at tackle, sure it would. We have neither of those 2 things. Did we have WR's open on plays and miss them, yes!
Did we drop passes yes. He can dial up plays but us executing them is another thing and that is where coaching has failed. Our QB'S can't read defenses. Our WR'S are shitty route runners. Are the coaches telling us that Langham and Cager are our best 2 WR'S?
With the talent we have on that side of the ball, especially on the line, we have no business trying to run a pro style offense. Bama can because they a oh line full if Mack Trucks. I'm surprised his youthful son has not been in his ear to change but maybe he hasn't said anything because that would mean he was a failure as a QB coach.
All The Herb knows is that we pissed that season away because of an array of offensive mistakes plus special teams. This offense is better suited for the spread. All he has to do is look at the oh line talent and what he is recruiting to figure that one out. I mean swiping kids from App. St. And a 245 lb at that to be future tackle. We don't projects, we need players who can play now. We've had 15 decoms in this year's class alone and that should tell all of us what they think of Day.

So you would prefer Payton to sign elsewhere to teach Richt and the BOT a lesson? Likewise with Hasselwood? Presumably, Linegard, Pope, Dallas, Rousseau, Davis, Perry, Weldon, and Williams should transfer now, right? Take that to its conclusion, and we’re routing for no signees and for every player to transfer for their own good.

How is that any different than what Emmett wanted to do to the program in 2012?

Is saben taking out his starter in the championship game for a freshman ‘a win at all costs’ or simply a great, gutsy move that won him a championship?

//

The starter was injured and the O stunk up the entire 1st half. Saban had no choice initially to replace an injured starter. He was smart to continue to play the backup when it was obvious he provided a spark to the O and momentum swung in favor of roll tide. Smart move but no different than what 50 other HCs would’ve done.

I’d say that Dabo replacing a starter mid season while winning was a much more gutsy move.

I do agree with U frequently Solar but not always. Lol. It’s hypocracy for us to consistently high brow Penn St about Paterno and what he knew or didn’t know and what his staff and their school admin knew or didn’t know but then advocate for Briles. Any man with a daughter, sister, niece, mother etc ought to be disgusted with Baylor and everyone associated with that staff.